WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has previously
adopted strong policy resolutions calling for cities,
communities and the federal government to take actions to
reduce global warming pollution; and

WHEREAS, the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), the international community’s most respected
assemblage of scientists, has found that climate disruption
is a reality and that human activities are largely
responsible for increasing concentrations of global warming
pollution; and

WHEREAS, recent, well-documented impacts of climate
disruption include average global sea level increases of
four to eight inches during the 20th century; a 40 percent
decline in Arctic sea-ice thickness; and nine of the ten
hottest years on record occurring in the past decade; and

WHEREAS, climate disruption of the magnitude now predicted
by the scientific community will cause extremely costly
disruption of human and natural systems throughout the
world including: increased risk of floods or droughts; sealevel
rises that interact with coastal storms to erode
beaches, inundate land, and damage structures; more
frequent and extreme heat waves; more frequent and greater
concentrations of smog; and

WHEREAS, on February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol, an
international agreement to address climate disruption, went
into effect in the 141 countries that have ratified it to
date; 38 of those countries are now legally required to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions on average 5.2 percent
below 1990 levels by 2012; and

WHEREAS, the United States of America, with less than five
percent of the world’s population, is responsible for
producing approximately 25 percent of the world’s global
warming pollutants; and

WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction target for
the U.S. would have been 7 percent below 1990 levels by
2012; and

WHEREAS, many leading US companies that have adopted
greenhouse gas reduction programs to demonstrate corporate
social responsibility have also publicly expressed
preference for the US to adopt precise and mandatory
emissions targets and timetables as a means by which to
remain competitive in the international marketplace, to
mitigate financial risk and to promote sound investment
decisions; and

WHEREAS, state and local governments throughout the United
States are adopting emission reduction targets and programs
and that this leadership is bipartisan, coming from
Republican and Democratic governors and mayors alike; and

WHEREAS, many cities throughout the nation, both large and
small, are reducing global warming pollutants through
programs that provide economic and quality of life benefits
such as reduced energy bills, green space preservation, air
quality improvements, reduced traffic congestion, improved
transportation choices, and economic development and job
creation through energy conservation and new energy
technologies; and

WHEREAS, mayors from around the nation have signed the U.S.
Mayors Climate Protection Agreement which, as amended at
the 73rd Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, reads:
The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
A. We urge the federal government and state governments to
enact policies and programs to meet or beat the target
of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7
percent below 1990 levels by 2012, including efforts
to: reduce the United States’ dependence on fossil
fuels and accelerate the development of clean,
economical energy resources and fuel-efficient
technologies such as conservation, methane recovery for
energy generation, waste to energy, wind and solar
energy, fuel cells, efficient motor vehicles, and
biofuels;
B. We urge the U.S. Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse
gas reduction legislation that includes 1) clear
timetables and emissions limits and 2) a flexible,
market-based system of tradable allowances among
emitting industries; and C. We will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets
for reducing global warming pollution by taking actions
in our own operations and communities such as:
1. Inventory global warming emissions in City operations
and in the community, set reduction targets and
create an action plan.
2. Adopt and enforce land-use policies that reduce
sprawl, preserve open space, and create compact,
walkable urban communities;
3. Promote transportation options such as bicycle
trails, commute trip reduction programs, incentives
for car pooling and public transit;
4. Increase the use of clean, alternative energy by, for
example, investing in “green tags”, advocating for
the development of renewable energy resources,
recovering landfill methane for energy production,
and supporting the use of waste to energy technology;
5. Make energy efficiency a priority through building
code improvements, retrofitting city facilities with
energy efficient lighting and urging employees to
conserve energy and save money;
6. Purchase only Energy Star equipment and appliances
for City use;
7. Practice and promote sustainable building practices
using the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program
or a similar system;
8. Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal
fleet vehicles; reduce the number of vehicles; launch
an employee education program including anti-idling
messages; convert diesel vehicles to bio-diesel;
9. Evaluate opportunities to increase pump efficiency in
water and wastewater systems; recover wastewater
treatment methane for energy production;
10. Increase recycling rates in City operations and in
the community;
11. Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree planting
to increase shading and to absorb CO2; and
12. Help educate the public, schools, other
jurisdictions, professional associations, business
and industry about reducing global warming pollution.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of
Mayors endorses the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection
Agreement as amended by the 73rd annual U.S. Conference of
Mayors meeting and urges mayors from around the nation to
join this effort.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, The U.S. Conference of Mayors will
work in conjunction with ICLEI Local Governments for
Sustainability and other appropriate organizations to track
progress and implementation of the U.S. Mayors Climate
Protection Agreement as amended by the 73rd annual U.S.
Conference of Mayors meeting.